FC United of Manchester
FC United of Manchester
FC United of Manchester

Time to Reno-vate – Part Two

Following the astonishing response to our #NoDrainNoGame crowdfunding campaign – where our fantastic supporters donated £15,000 in under 48 hours – we are increasing the target to see if we can raise an incredible £30,000 to renovate our Broadhurst Park pitch.

Thank you to everyone that has donated so far, your generosity, especially during these difficult times, never ceases to amaze us. But we also understand that there are many supporters who haven’t had the chance to donate yet, especially as many will be waiting for pay day, so we are going to extend the campaign to allow more people to get involved.

Why are we increasing the target to £30,000?
Thanks to your generosity we now have the £15,000 necessary to complete the essential drainage work to the pitch this summer which will reduce the risk of costly match postponements next season.

But we are now looking to raise an additional £15,000 to carry out further essential work to the pitch – specifically a process known as ‘koroing’.

Our groundsman Graham Byrne explains: “Fixing the drains is the number one priority but the essential work we had planned before the pandemic doesn’t end there – a lot more still needs to be done.

“Koroing is the process of planing off the top surface of the pitch. This removes the organic matter that has built up in the upper profile, which holds moisture on the surface and can promote disease.

"It also removes shallow rooted weed grasses which kick-out more readily than deeper rooting rye grasses. A much more stable and hard wearing surface will be the result. Ideally, koroing should be carried out every two years, so we need to make up for lost time.”

As with the drainage work, koroing the pitch will significantly reduce the risk of games being lost to bad weather next season. A postponed Saturday afternoon men’s first team match typically costs the club around £8,000 if it gets rearranged to a midweek night. It will also allow the pitch to continue to be used for revenue generating activities such as the film shoots.

In normal circumstances, the cost of pitch maintenance would be paid by the club and we were intending to set aside £30,000 for improvements to the main stadium pitch this summer.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit the club hard. We now estimate that we will lose more than £220,000 in revenue which is partially offset by much needed – and much appreciated – grants and other support from Manchester City Council and HMRC as well as the fantastic fund-raising efforts of FC United supporters.

But while the club is actively seeking additional financial support from outside of our fanbase, we don’t currently have sufficient revenue to fund these vital works and we need to renovate the pitch now.

So we’ve set up a crowdfunding appeal at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/no-drain-no-game to help us raise a new total of £30,000 to renovate the pitch and ensure that it looks immaculate when we begin playing football again next season.

We’re asking supporters and co-owners and others to pitch in to help the pitch. As with all crowdfunding campaigns there are rewards for donors.

Full details of all the rewards are available on our crowdfunding page and some new unique rewards have been added including the chance to shadow FC United manager Neil Reynolds for a game which includes access to the pre-match and half time dressing room team talks and sitting in the dugout during the match… the ultimate match day fly on the wall opportunity!

We also realise that we’re in the midst of a global health crisis with many of us worried about our own health and the health of loved ones, concerned about our jobs and uncertain as to when and where our next pay packet is coming from. There are plenty of other organisations out there crying out for financial assistance at this difficult time. There’s more to life than football. Much more.

More than a football club
However, this football club is more than a football club. Broadhurst Park has played a crucial role in supporting its local community in Moston and across Manchester over the last five years and the donation of the ground to be used as a hub to distribute much needed food parcels to some of the most vulnerable people in our community during this unprecedented time is merely the latest example of that.

What we do on the pitch drives the success of the rest of the football club – aside from our supporters the pitch really is our most valuable asset – and it’s vital that we look after it.

So, please, if you can spare £5, £10, £50 or £500 or possibly more to pitch in to help the pitch (and get your hands on one of the many rewards up for grabs) then we really would be very grateful.

If you know someone else who isn’t an FC United supporter who might be interested in supporting this campaign then please direct them to our crowdfunding page at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/no-drain-no-game

Thank you very much for your continued and fantastic support.
#NoDrainNoGame